Osun 2014: CNPP wants INEC REC redeployed

Agboola Bayo

Osun state wing of the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) yesterday demanded immediate removal of the state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Ambassador Rufus Akeju, from the state before the August9, governorship election.
Addressing a press conference in Ibadan, the Osun CNPP chairman, Pastor Tunde Olatunji, declared that for a peaceful, free and fair governorship election to be held in Osun, the REC must be transferred out of Osun state “now.”

He alleged that the REC was favourably disposed to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) “and, therefore, cannot be fair in the conduct of the Osun governorship election.”
He said: “We want to unequivocally re emphasised our lack of confidence in the person of Ambassador Oluwatoyin Rufus Akeju, the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Osun state and we hereby demand for his immediate redeployment/removal from the state.

“If the REC should go ahead conducting the August,9 election, there will be chaos in the state; we are saying that if Ambassador Akeju is allowed to conduct the election, that may mar the conduct of the August 9, governorship election in Osun state.”
He said it was unfortunate that INEC had been finding it difficult to yield to the calls for the removal or redeployment of the REC since 2011, stressing that “we don’t know why it is not possible or difficult for INEC to transfer Ambassador Akeju as REC from Osun state. He is not fit to conduct the election.”